The present invention relates generally to cart or pallet storage systems and more particularly, to improved release mechanisms for use with cart, pallet, slip sheet or unit load flow rail storage systems, including transfer and return systems.
Various load transfer and return systems having multi-level rails are now known and are becoming accepted in the storage and warehouse industry. Examples of such systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,170,896, issued Dec. 15, 1992 to Anthony N. Konstant, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,617,961, issued Apr. 8, 1997 to Anthony N. Konstant and John F. Pater, both of which are assigned to Konstant Products, Inc. (hereinafter referred to as the "Konstant '896 patent" and "Konstant '961 patent," respectively, and incorporated herein by reference).
The Konstant '896 patent teaches, among other things, multi-level rail systems including cart return storage features that automatically and selectively permit the transfer of unloaded carts and/or unloaded carts and pallets from an unloading storage end (front) to a loading or return end (rear) where they may be conveniently stored or reused. These systems typically required specially designed carts and rails to permit selective transfer and the orderly flow of carts to the unloading and transfer end.
The Konstant '961 patent teaches, among other things, cart, pallet, slip sheet and/or unit load transfer and return storage systems that selectively and efficiently transfer unloaded carts, unloaded carts and pallets or unloaded pallets and the like from a storage position to a position where they may be reloaded, replaced or re-used. These systems generally provide for the transfer of a cart or pallet from an unloading position (front) on the feed or feed flow rails to a reloading position (rear) on the return or return flow rails without the need of an operator to physically remove the unloaded cart or pallet until it is in position to be reloaded. Such systems also provide for cart or pallet advance or release means for stopping the flow of loaded pallets or carts on the feed or feed flow rails to facilitate the loading, unloading and transfer processes.
In the transfer and return systems of the Konstant '961 patent, the cart advance release assembly includes a cross member having protrusions which extend upward into the path of the cart or pallet that is on the feed or feed flow rails in order to stop the cart or pallet prior to the transfer position. The structural members of the carts for use in such systems are typically provided with notches designed to cooperate with the cart release mechanism to prevent the undesired advance of carts to the transfer station/position while selectively permitting the advance of the carts or pallets upon activation. In such systems using pallets, the pallets typically have to be oriented in a certain way so and be of a certain condition that they may clear the protrusion of the spring biased release assembly upon their advancement down the feed flow rails.
Some users of such systems may desire potentially smoother, simpler or more effective operation of the cart or pallet release mechanism for use on these and other storage systems. Other users may desire the ability to use such systems without the need for specially designed carts or pallets to cooperate with the release assembly. Still others in the industry may desire an improved cart, pallet, slip sheet or unit load release assembly for use on various standard (typically single level) rail or flow rail storage systems.